Through the Kaleidoscope
by Kiyoshi Kitana
Summary: G-rated gen fic about Froi Tiedoll and his thoughts. To be safe, spoilers for the entire anime. Written for dgray flashfic on livejournal.


**Title:** Through the Kaleidoscope  
**Author:** Kitana  
**Warnings:** Absolutely none. G-rated gen fic about General Froi Tiedoll.

With the haggard state of the Dark Order Headquarters, Froi Tiedoll didn't think he should have been packing up so soon. Despite his own wishes to help rebuild a little longer, he still had four Innocence fragments in his possession; he needed to find their hosts as soon as possible. It seemed like he'd been everywhere in the world already, from Barcelona to Brazil to Beijing, searching. There were so few Exorcists right now, and it made his job all the more important. Yet it had been so long since he'd been able to see home again.

Froi rummaged through a bag, mentally ticking off what he was taking with him this time. It was never much to begin with, just a pouch with the Innocence clinking together inside, a blank sketchpad, and new art supplies. He only carried one medium with him at any time – it was a challenge to him, to draw expressive scenes only limited by the materials he had with him.

The General had studied art for so long that the world around him was like a canvas; there was always something beautiful to admire. Fully packed, Tiedoll sighed, opening a drawer the chest nearest his bed. It was where he kept his complete sketchpads, and the dresser only had one empty drawer now. The others were stacked full, maybe ten or fifteen books in each. He removed one and turned the first page with a sigh.

The first sketch was of Kanda, surly and irritable even as a child. The General turned another page, and it was a new portrait of Kanda, his sword raised in practice. There were more pages in the book, most of them filled with scenery of the places he had breezed through in his searches. The last page in the book was another of Kanda, almost on the verge of an explosion after Mugen broke for the first time.

It was strange to him, but there weren't many mediums that would catch Kanda's essence properly. Tiedoll had tried watercolour, but it made Kanda too pretty, feminine even. He'd tried coloured pencils too, but the colours weren't intense enough, a little washed out. In the end, after many unsatisfactory attempts, Tiedoll had settled on charcoal, 4B, not the hardest but not the softest.

Kanda never willingly sat still for Tiedoll during his attempts, either. Sometimes, he would catch the boy during meditation to sketch the vague look of concentration, or when he was determinedly staring into the distance. The charcoal on the page was faded and light now, with bits of smudging from other trips down memory lane. He set the sketchbook back into the drawer and pulled out a different one.

This one, when he pried apart the cover, opened a well of sadness he couldn't afford to deal with. Froi loved all of his children, and he wouldn't dare say he loved any of them more than the other, but his soft spot for Daisya did not go unnoticed. Exuberant could've well and true been Daisya's middle name, and no one would have thought otherwise.  
Daisya, like Kanda, would never sit still for the General, but it was only because he liked the rush that came with life. Daisya had chastised him a few times during their journey, stating that there were too many things to see in life to spend so much time sitting still. Because of that, many of Tiedoll's sketches of Daisya were simple and quick, done with dark strokes of thick graphite.

He flipped through the book, each action sketch creating a sort of animation of Daisya's travels with him. The sketchbook ended with an outline of Headquarters in the distance. It had been a beautiful sunny day, that day. He could've remembered it without any help at all.

Closing the sketchbook, Tiedoll regretted that he only had enough time to offer Daisya a simple, hurried sketch of his hometown as a parting gift. It was possible that the Innocence could bring him close to Daisya's home again; if so, he would draw it properly and with care. Daisya deserved at least that much.

The third sketchbook he picked up made his lips turn up in an amused smile. Out of all of his students, Marie had been the most patient and steadfast, spending much of his free time in silent contemplation. Without vision, Marie had learned to sense and convey emotions through voice. It was a remarkable talent in its own right, and Marie had become very good at navigating the sometimes turbulent waters that comprised the bulk of the human population.

The General would freely admit that he deeply enjoyed that Marie liked listening to him paint and sketch. Though he could never physically see the outcome, Marie seemed to be able to judge what was being drawn by the sound of each stroke. As Froi turned the pages on this art book, it was as though he was taking the scenic route on a long drive. This one had more pages than the others – mostly because Marie wasn't prone to destroying portraits he didn't care for, unlike the other two – and left him with a sense of peacefulness.

He put away the last sketchbook, checking his bag once again to make sure he had everything he needed. He shouldered it with a world-weary sigh, and he strode towards the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. If they weren't already on missions, he'd check on Marie and Kanda. He'd also make sure to check on Chaoji as well; the Innocence he'd had in his possession had sought the young man and found him just in time to make a difference in the outcome of things.

Tiedoll knew he wouldn't have time to talk like he wanted now, but once everything was said and done there would be plenty of time. Stepping through, Tiedoll pulled the door closed with a soft click. He then smiled.

Things would always be changing in the world, but as long as he was here, things would at least be able to stay beautiful.


End file.
